For me, the more sightly my workspace is, the more productive I’ll be. On top of that, aesthetically pleasing spaces make me a happier person in general. I was slightly disappointed when I got to see my graduate student housing, because although it’s an apartment, it was really just a glorified dorm room with a kitchen, and bathroom. But, I knew myself well enough to know that no task would be too difficult. I was able to give my desk space (and my room in general—but more on that to come) the makeover it needed to meet all of my aesthetic wants and productivity needs. Let’s get into my law school desk tour, shall we?

The desk and bookshelf, also known as a hutch (you learn something new everyday), came in the typical dorm room wood finish. It was large, bulky, and overwhelming. I knew it would completely throw off my vision of a crisp all white bedroom. I decided to cover the entire desk shelf unit in marble contact paper from Amazon. It was no easy task what so ever. As you can see I wasn’t able to cover the desk drawers entirely, and there are some rough edges because the contact paper was difficult to cut. Still, I know just how hard it was to get in on by myself (I literally dropped the bookshelf on my foot and I’m convinced I either broke a small bone or bruised it REALLY badly) so I won’t be in a rush to redo it. On top of that, it looks way better than the original wood did which was the point. So, I’m satisfied.

The desk also came with a chair that was black. That also didn’t match with what I wanted. Instead of buying a blanket to cover the chair, which was also an option, I decided to place my AKA line jacket over it, seeing as it’s white and since AKA is important to me.

Top Shelf

I don’t know how familiar you are with law school but essentially the first year especially is all about reading. There are a lot of books and they are HUGE. On top of that they are pretty ugly looking too. They clashed with the marble contact paper and on top of that loose books on a shelf looked a little disorganized to me. I opted to place them in these pretty Kate Spade nesting boxes that I found at Marshall’s. These ones were $12.99 each and they are the largest of the Kate Spade nesting boxes. Between the boxes, I added a touch of green with some faux plants. They were $10 each at Marshall’s.

Middle Shelf

I pretty much made the same decisions for the middle shelf as I did for the top shelf. I bought these nesting boxes from TJ Maxx (yes, both TJ Maxx and Marshall’s sell these boxes) but since they are smaller they cost $7.99 each. These boxes hold random things like extra candles, mints, or my bluetooth speakers.

Between the boxes I placed a vanity tray that I found at Home Goods, and I decided to place my Fenty Body Lavas on the tray not only because they were pretty, but also because they also fit with the gold accents I had throughout that shelf.

Desk Top

Now let’s get into some of the items on my desk. There’s a lot of TJ Maxx and Marshalls action going on here so unfortunately I won’t be able to link much, but pretty much most of their stores have these items in person:

I decided my desk top would generally be a marble and rose gold/pink theme. I found my “Fringe” planner at TJ Maxx. It couldn’t have been a more perfect match with its marble and rose gold cover.

The lamp was $15, the gold stapler was $7, and the pink wire containers were $3 each, all from TJ Maxx. The perfume bottles, which I already owned, matched with the color scheme so I though they were a nice touch. The “Hello Gorgeous” Mug was $5.99 from Target. It’s also another decorative piece that I don’t actually use to drink. 

Finally, I opted for a bunch of faux flowers from Michael’s and a felt letter board from Amazon to add a decorative touch to my desk. I particularly loved the letter board because it could come in handy for product photos but also as a motivational phrase board while I work. Right now, I put up a portion of Proverbs 3:5 on it.

School Supplies

Lest we forget that all of this is for me to do law school work. Since year one of law school is pretty much all about reading, all I really needed were pens (my favorite are Pilot G2 gel pens), highlighters, and my Macbook Air. I do have a very basic spiral notebook (not pictured) because to my surprise, some of my professors don’t allow technology in class. The colorful pens you see in the corner are for color coding events and tasks in my planner. Other than that, that’s it for school supplies!

Tips For Creating Your Office Space:

1. Pick a general color scheme and try to stick to it.
2. Add faux plants or flowers to give a fresh, home-y look.
3. Storage bins and boxes are perfect for neatness and organization. Magazine Holders work for that as well.
4. Display your prettiest items. Even though it’s my work desk, the Fenty and perfume bottles were a nice touch.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF MY LAW SCHOOL DESK TOUR?

#EniGivenSunday